Head teacher Neil Wilkinson said: “This is a hugely exciting time for Bemrose School and the new building and refurbishment project will future-proof the school for many decades to come.

“This is an historic school and we are very much aware of the need to be sympathetic to the original building, while bringing it in line with modern teaching methods.

“The current school building has been in need of modernisation for a long time and while we have made improvements regularly over the years, this complete refurbishment has been needed for some time and will make the entire school fit for purpose.”

Pupils on site with their hard hats on

The new building will be made with bricks matching the original school and have a flat roof so the school’s historic green-domed turrets and clock tower will not be obscured.

It will including interactive whiteboards, electronically controlled lighting and ventilation in all of the classrooms as well as C02 monitoring to ensure pupils stay focussed.

There will be three specialist science labs, one each for biology, physics and chemistry, as well as six computer suites.

The school’s corridors will be sound-proofed to minimise disruption and its flooring will lifted, refurbished and reinstalled.